Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1887-02-23
ABOUT Boards.
How They Became Popular in
this Country.
An Unwritteu Law That Was Changed
BY the California Pioneers.

AAA oahAiiNSu Law luat "Vp SuluSOu
BY the California Pioneers.
"Thc carly gold-scckers in California
conferred q benefit on tho country for
which the younger generation can hardly
be grateful enough"
The speaker was one Of the old forty
miners. "When was young man,"
he continued, mo one was permitted to
wear beard. There was an unwlitten
law against it which was more strictly
obcycd than the statutes against murder
or robbery. A man with full, flowing
beard, such as may be seen anywhere in
walk of five minutes, would have been
followed and hootcd at by crowd of
boys in any New England town; while
the moustache WAS an open confession
that the wcarcr was rowdy and social
outlaw. The wcarcr would not have
been admitted to membership in any
church, nor-unlcss he was military
oficcr-rcceived into any respectable
circle. Side whiskcrs could be worn, or
chin whskcrs but the lines were drawn
against the complete thing or the shaded
upper lip by a public opinion SO strong
that it seemed immutabe.
"Thc gold excitement broke out, and
in almost t very town and village there
were some who. caught the fever and
started for the land of promise. We
had hard time of il; the fortunate
fellows had just MS hard time as the
uniortuna c, except for the courage that
success brings. There was no leisure
and little induccmcnt for sclr-adornmcnt
in the absence Of women. We got
careless about observing the rules Of our
old civilized life, and one Of the first
evidences of this was that one after an
other VIC stopped shaving. 1t took too
much time and our razors got dull or
our bits of looking glass lost or broken,
and soon every mining camp on the coast
was filed with full-bcardcd men.
Early in the 'lfics, the men who had
left wives and children or swcethcarts
at home, and who had raked together
few thousand dollars, began to return,
some to bring their families back, and
others TO pay of the mortgages on their
farms and remain. We had been free
from the trammcls OF the old civiliza-
ton long enough to be indifferent 10
some OF its arbitrary rules; and then, we
were conccitcd enough TO think that our
adventures had gwen us the right to be
recognized as heroes, and didn't mind
wearing sort of distinguished badge.
So. large number of us returned TO
our old homes with much the same ap.
pcarancc that we had in the mines.
ave were decidedly picturesque lot,
! suppose, and wherever VIC went, were
Immediately recognized as returned gold
digecrs, and received the respect among
our old ncighbors that our snppostous
wealth-alas ! only suppositious in many
cascs--commanded. In no very long
time there were very few towns in which
there We're not several returned Cllifor-
mans, and, as the novelty OF full boards
began to wear off, tho real improvement
which boards made in some men was
seen, uge-iawed, long-lippcd men
came back absolutely handsome. Then
the doctors entered the field, young
men with weak lungs and bronc hial
troubles seemed to be cured. At first
the climate of California and the cX-
posurc OF camp life obtained the credit;
but after winter at home it was be.
licvcd that the protection given
by the beard should share
tho credit, and soon many OF
the physicians, especially in New Eng
land, advised their patients to cease
shaving. The innovation now made its
way rapidly, BY the advice Of the doc
tor was as satisfactory an answer to ali
comments as it is in the same part of
the country when one is caught taking
his 'bi:tcrs' before dinner.
ut was some years, however, before
the prejudice Of generations became so
weakened that preachers could wear
boards without severe comment on the
part Of some members of their congrcsa-
lions, if not secession from their folds
10 those Of shavcn shepherds. When it
became allowable ior any who choose to
wear full beard, entire cmancpa ion
followed easily enough, and men began
TO trim their b ards to suit themselves,
until before long they could veal
moustachcs alone without causing re-
mark. - Boston Herald.